Large Projects and Prestige Homes in Sicily
Large renovations and high-end residences across Sicily for private clients who expect quality and discretion: whole buildings, villas, sea-view homes and design-led interiors, with one team from property search to handover.
About This Service
Terra Nostra Costruzioni delivers large construction projects and high-end renovations in Sicily for private clients: whole buildings, villas, sea-view homes and design-led interiors created together with architects and interior designers. We are based in Palermo and take on projects anywhere on the island, from Taormina and Cefalù to Siracusa, Noto and the Trapani coast, with one team from the property search to the day you receive the keys. The work can be a whole palazzo turned into a single residence, a villa reorganised around a new pool and garden, or a sea-view home taken back to its structure and finished to a new standard.
We work on projects of every size, but large and complex ones are what we prefer. More than 200 completed projects in Sicily have taught us how to run sites where structure, impianti, joinery, stone, glass and furniture arrive from different hands and must come together to the same standard. A high-end home is decided in the details: the line of a joint, the way a door closes, the light across a plaster wall. Our job is to protect those details from the first drawing to the last fitting.
Projects for high-profile private clients call for discretion, and we are used to it. Information about the property stays with the people who need it, communication runs through a single bilingual project manager on WhatsApp and email, and owners abroad follow the works through regular photo and video updates without needing to travel. Site access, deliveries and visits are organised so that the property draws as little attention as possible.
We work alongside your architect and interior designer, or bring in the professionals we collaborate with, and turn their design into a plan that can be built: permits with the Comune, the Soprintendenza and the Genio Civile where needed, sourcing of materials and finishes from Sicily and beyond, structural and systems work, bespoke interiors, and a full turnkey handover, furnished and ready to live in if you wish.
The aim is a home that is easy to own as well as beautiful. That means systems that are simple to maintain, materials chosen to stand up to sun and salt air, and a building that holds its value because it was built properly, with the documentation at handover to keep it that way.
What sets a high-end Sicilian residence apart
A truly fine home in Sicily is rarely about adding more. The most valued homes on the island pair a strong setting, whether a sea view, a historic centre or open countryside, with honest materials used well: local stone, lime plaster, cotto, maiolica, wood and iron, alongside contemporary glass, steel and lighting. The design-led interiors that clients ask for depend on precise building: flush doors, concealed lighting, large-format stone laid perfectly flat, frameless glazing that keeps water out. Each of these needs the builder to work to the designer's tolerances, not to their own.
Coastal homes add another layer. Salt air and humidity attack metal fixings, plaster and timber faster than inland, so windows, railings, outdoor kitchens and pool areas must be specified for the coast. Whole buildings, whether a palazzo in a city centre or a group of villas on one estate, add scale: several apartments or wings, shared systems, lifts, staff areas and outdoor spaces to be planned as one. This is where a single contractor running the full project makes the difference between a coherent result and a collection of separate jobs.
Permits for sea-view homes, villas and listed buildings in Sicily
Prime locations are often the most regulated. The coastal strip within 300 metres of the shore is under landscape protection (D.Lgs. 42/2004, art. 142), so works that change the outside of a property there need an autorizzazione paesaggistica. In Sicily, L.R. 78/1976, art. 15 bars new building within 150 metres of the shoreline, which is one reason existing sea-front houses are so sought after, and why any project on them starts from what is legally built. Historic centres such as Taormina, Ortigia, Noto or Cefalù have their own plan rules, and listed buildings need authorisation from the provincial Soprintendenza.
The building titles themselves are CILA, SCIA or Permesso di Costruire under DPR 380/2001, applied in Sicily through L.R. 16/2016, and structural works are designed to NTC 2018 and filed with the Ufficio del Genio Civile. Pools, terraces, pergolas and outdoor kitchens can each need their own permit, especially in protected areas. Before you buy, we check the legal status of the property against what you want to do with it. After the purchase, we prepare and follow the filings with the designers, so that the project that gets approved is the one that gets built.
One team from property search to turnkey handover
Large projects usually go wrong at the interfaces: between designer and builder, between trades, between the site and an owner who lives abroad. We remove as many of those interfaces as we can. We can help you find the property, assess it with a survey before you commit, and then manage the design process with your architect and interior designer. Materials and finishes are sourced and checked by us, from Sicilian stone and handmade tiles to imported fittings, and samples are approved before anything is ordered in quantity. A single budget and programme cover design, works and interiors, so any change is priced and scheduled before it happens.
On site, our teams carry out demolition, structure, roofs, facades, electrical and plumbing impianti, heating, cooling and home automation, then the finishes and the interiors. One bilingual project manager is your contact on WhatsApp and email, with regular photo and video updates, so you can follow progress and make decisions without being in Sicily. At handover the home is complete: furnished if you wish, systems tested, and the paperwork for the works in order.
Planning a large project: phasing, seasons, access and how the home will be used
The order of works matters as much as the design. On a large property we usually close the structure and envelope first, then work on systems and interiors in parallel across different areas. If you want to use part of the property during the works, such as a guest house or one wing, we phase the site to keep it separate and safe. On the coast many owners prefer noisy work to happen outside the summer, for their own use and for their neighbours, and some coastal towns restrict building activity in the peak tourist season.
Access needs planning too. Hillside villas, historic centres and island locations can limit cranes, trucks and storage space, and materials may need to arrive in smaller loads. If the home will also be let to guests or used for events, that decision affects permits, parking, kitchens, safety systems and the size of the water and power supplies, so it belongs in the brief from day one. Before works begin we set out a programme that reflects all of this, so you know the sequence and the decisions you will be asked to make along the way.
What's Included
Why Choose Terra Nostra
Our Process
A clear, structured approach ensures your project runs smoothly from start to finish.
Private Brief
A confidential first conversation by WhatsApp or email about the property, the way you will live in it and the standard you expect.
Search and Due Diligence
Help finding the right property, then a survey and a check of its legal status against your plans before you commit.
Design and Approvals
We work with your architect and interior designer, or ours, and prepare the permits the project needs.
Sourcing and Samples
Stone, tiles, joinery, fittings and furniture selected, sampled and approved before ordering.
Construction and Systems
Structure, envelope, impianti and finishes carried out by our teams under one project manager, with regular updates.
Turnkey Handover
Interiors completed, systems tested and the home handed over, furnished if you wish.
Frequently Asked Questions
Common questions about our large projects and prestige homes in sicily services
Do you take on very large projects, such as whole buildings or estates?
Yes, and they are the projects we prefer. We take on work of every size, but whole buildings, villas with several structures, historic properties and turnkey homes are where a single, coordinated contractor adds the most value.
Can you build with my own architect and interior designer?
Yes. Many high-end clients arrive with their own designers, and we work alongside them from the early stages so the details they draw can be built precisely. If you have no team yet, we introduce the professionals we collaborate with.
How do you handle privacy for high-profile clients?
We are used to the discretion such clients expect. Information about you and the property is shared only with the people who need it for the work, and all communication goes through one project manager.
Can I build a new house right by the sea in Sicily?
Not within 150 metres of the shoreline: Sicilian L.R. 78/1976, art. 15 bars new building there. Within 300 metres, works need landscape authorisation. Existing sea-front houses can be renovated within the rules, which is why we check what is legally built before you buy.
Can you manage the whole project while I am abroad?
Yes. One bilingual project manager is your contact on WhatsApp and email, with regular photo and video updates. You visit for the decisions you want to make in person, such as samples, finishes or the final walkthrough.
Do you deliver homes fully furnished?
Yes, if you want it. Our turnkey handover can include furniture, lighting, textiles and styling coordinated with your interior designer, so the home is ready to live in on the day you arrive.
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